Handle mechanism



Nov. 9, 1937. F, J HN N 2,098,421

HANDLE MECHANISM Filed Jan. 2, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Nov. 9, 1937. B. F. JOHNSON 2,098,421

' HANDLE MECHANISM I File d Jan. 2, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Ber! F Job/150a ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 9, 1937 2,098,421

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HANDLE MECHANISM Ben F. Johnson, Cambridge City, Ind., assignor to National Metal Products Co. Inc., Connorsville, End, a corporation of Indiana Application January 2, 1927, Serial No. 118,853

Claims. (01. 16-112) This invention relates to handle mechanisms, ing the present invention and attached to a casand in particular to handle mechanisms of the ket.

Swinging bar type intended principally for use Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a plate or base with caskets. member in the process of being assembled with Handles of the swinging bar type have become an arm member. 5

popular in connection with caskets, both because Fig. 3 is a side elevation of an ass mb y o a of the neat appearance afforded and because of p e member and a a With the a n the smaller vault space required. The appearmember in its lower idle Positionance feature is of course important because of g- 4 s a Sim ar Side el v t ShOWi e the personal sentiment attached to the selection a m be n ts a d lifting D t II. 10 of a casket. The smaller vault space feature is Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the arm member important particularly in large urban communiper se. J ties. Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the plate member With the old stationary type handle, in order per to provide sufiicient hand space for ease in lifting, F 7 and 8 are two views of an arm member the overall dimensions of the casket had to be formed o Sheet te increased. This required acorrespondingly larger 9 illustrates a plate member also formed vault, which in the larger urban communities from Sheet Steelbecame aprohibiting factor in many cases. With Referring W to Fig. 1, a casket is indicated,

0 the advent of the swinging bar type, which swings athei diagrammatically, t ill as av ng attached out while lifting the casket and drops back when to one side thereof plate or e e s H idle, smaller vaults are required than with the With which cooperate m members Ca ied old stationary type handles. The resulting saving by the two arm members is a ng bar l3. to the individual in individual cost, as well as to While only l1W0 Sets O plate and arm members 5 the public in the resulting increase in burial 9 Shown attached to thecasket, as many may space, is at once apparent. be oy d as found desirable.

Having in mind the dual requirement of ap- The Plate and arm members may be made of peamnce and compactness, it is a principal object cast metal, preferably die cast, or of sheet steel f the present invention to provide aJ1 improved or the like. In Figs. 2'to 6 I have illustrated these handle mechanism of the swinging bar type which l as being die Cast, and preferably cast 30 can be manufactured at low cost, which is rugged, accordmg to the Process only known as which is unusually compact, and which can b ush molding, that is, wherein the interior made in a variety f attractive designs hot metal is dumped as soon as the metal ad- A further object of the invention is to provide 1mmt the Outer Surface has chilled fiiciently a handle mechanism of the above type compris- 9 form a hollow Casting w Walls of the de- 35 ing a plate or base member which can be readily slred thlcknessand quickly assembled with a swinging arm mem- The plate'or base member Shown in s. 2 t0 4 her without requiring such assembly items as and P cast With a flat, ther shaped, screws, bolts, clamps, auxiliary hinges, or the rear slde smtable for mounting against an Outer 40 mm wall of the casket. The body of the member may 40 A still further object is to provide such a han- $55 2 ig g 3 but h central portlon dle mechanism comprising a plate or base memg sg g i opegmg 0r aperture as her, a swinging arm member, and a lifting bar, n e em Odlment Shown I prefer that this opening be rectangular in wherein the arm member 15 assembledmth the shape and have side walls [6. In each side wall plate. member by passing through an aperture, are cast two recesses or slots l l and I8. The slots Opening 111 i511? f? member the back slde l1 are directly opposing, as are the slots l8 also thereof, and is positively held in assembled rela- The Slots are hi f i Slots as tion therewith by attaching the bar to the more appear presently the slots arm me be whlle swung through the Opening to are stop-forming slots. It will be observed that 50 the front slde f the Plate memberboth slots are open-ended to the rear of the plate These and ot er O j c are attained in the member, and that the slots I! have a rounded embodiments of the invention illustrated in the end wall [9, whereas the slots l8 have an inclined attached drawings, wherein, end wall 20. The purpose of this will appear Fig. 1 illustrates a handle mechanism embodylater. 55

The front side of the plate or base member H is dished at 2|, on either side of the opening I5, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4. At the bottom of each dished portion is a countersunk screw hole 22 through which screws are inserted for securing the plate member to a casket, or other body to be lifted.

When the plate member iscastby. the. slush molding process, the interior metal is dumped leaving openings 25, thus producing a hollow casting, light in weight, but still rugged and,

possessing the necessary strength.

Considering now the arm member shown in Figs. 2 to 5, this member is preferably. also cast by the slush molding process, leaving opening 26 (see Fig. 5). The arm member preferably has flat side walls 21, spaced apart a distance slightly I less than the width of the opening 15 in the plate member I I so that the arm member may readily pass through the opening.

"Projecting from each of..the' sidewalls 21 are. lugs 28 and 29. The two lugs 28 are directly o posite one another, and have a diameter such that they readily interfit with the hinge-forming slots I! in the plate member. The lugs 29 are also oppositely spaced, and may be of several configurations so long as they will pass into the stopforming slots 18 in the plate member.

What will be termed the lower or lifting bar end of the arm membertl2 is provided with a transversely extending, oval shaped, aperture 30, which is adapted to receive the lifting bar I3. The other or upper end of the arm member is recessed at 3|.

When theplate and arm members I l and [2 are to be assembled together, the plate member is heldso that the holder faces the rear side M, as

shown in Fig. 2. The arm member is then grasped so that the upper end may be passed through the opening H5 in the plate member, the arm member being guided so that the lugs 28 engage the hinge forming slots ll. The arm member is then swung into the opening to'the lower or idle position, swinging on the lugs 28, and the recess 3| receiving the rim bordering the opening at the-top, as is shown in Fig. 3. The plate member may now be secured to the casket or other body.

When attaching the lifting bar l3 to the arm member, the arm member is preferably swung to the front side of theplate member as shown in Fig. 4, and the lifting bar then inserted through the aperture'30 and'held in place by set screws (not shown) or other means. The plate and arm members will then be locked together in assembly, and cannot be disassembled until the lifting bar has been removed.

- When a handle mechanism embodying the plate and arm members describedhas-been secured to a casket, as shown in Fig. 1, the lifting bar I3 is permitted to drop to its lower or idle position so long as the casket is at rest. Due to the presence of the dished portion 2| in each plate member'l l, which dished portion preferably conforms to the contour of the lifting bar I3, the lifting bar is nearly in flush relation with the front surface'of the platemember. This obviously conserves space.

7 When the casket is to be'lifted, the lifting bar is grasped and the arm member swung outwardly until the stop lugs 29 engage the end' walls 20 of the stop-forming slots I8, as shown in Fig. 4. The lifting bar is then in the lifting position and it will be observed from Fig. 4 that ample hand room is provided. When the lifting bar is-released it will drop to its idle or flush position due designated by like numerals with a prime added.

The pressed metal arm member differs from the cast arm member in that the lifting bar aperture 30 is formed by bending a strap portion 33 as shown in Figs. '7 and 8, and locking it in the bent position by suitably bending lugs 34 extending from the side walls 21 down over the strap portion. Other lugs 35 may extend out from the strap portion and interlock with the lugs 34.

The pressed metal members. will'of cours.e'; be hollow, but as will be readily understood will ;be durable and will possess high strength; Somev difficulty may be experienced in forming 'lugs' onthe pressed metal arm member corresponding to lugs 28 on the same cast member. For this reason I believe that it is better. to establish theselugs by pressing a steel pin 28 in holes in the side walls 21 of the arm member, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. All other parts can be readily formed from the parent metal during the forming operations. T

While I have described and illustrated my.in' vention with particular reference to a specific/type of handle mechanism, it will be apparent. that many modifications thereof may be made and I do not desire to be limited to the specific embodi-Z ment shown, or otherwise than according to the spirit and scope of the appended'claims."

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1'. In a handle mechanism, in combination, a plate member having an opening therein and being adapted to be secured to an object to be lifted, and'also being provided with two-sets of slots therein, an arm member for cooperating with said plate member and being provided with two sets of lugs, said lugs and slots being'so constructed and arranged as to provide for assembly of said arm member with'said plate member by passage of the arm member through said opening from the back side of the plate member, oneset of said lugs engaging one set of said slots to form a hinge connection for the assembly, and the other set of said lugs engaging the otherset of slots as said arm member swings througl'i said opening to the front side of said plate member, to provide a stop for movement of said arm member. 2. In a handle mechanism fora casket, incombination, a base member adapted to be secured on its rear side to a casket, saidbase member having an opening extending therethrough and having two sets of transversely extending slots, each of the slots being open-ended to the rear side of said base member, an arm memberjhaving projecting transversely therefrom two ,sets of lugs, one set of said lugs being engageablewith one set of said slots as said arm member is passed through said opening from the rear of saidjbase member to form a hinge connection therebetween, and the other of said sets of lugs engaging said other set of slots when said arm member has beenswung through a chosen angle to the front side of said base member, and a lifting bar carried by said arm member, said baseend arm members being so constructed and arranged as to permit said bar to be in substantial flush relation to said base member when said arm member rests in said opening.

3. In a handle mechanism for a casket, in combination, a base member adapted to be secured on its rear side to a casket, said base member having a rectangular opening extending therethrough, the long sides of said opening being provided with a set of hinge-forming slots therein and a set of stop-forming slots therein, both set of slots being open-ended to the rear side of said base member, a swinging arm member having a first set of lugs adapted to engage said hinge-forming slots. as said arm member is passed through said opening from the rear side of said base member, and also having a second set of lugs adapted to engage said stop-forming slots when said arm member is swung to a lifting position to the front side of said base member, and a lifting bar for attachment to said arm member when swung to the front side of said base member and being operable to hold said base member and arm member in assembled relation.

4. A handle mechanism comprising, in combination, a plate member adapted to be secured to an object to be lifted, an arm member cooperating with said plate member, said plate member having a set of open-end, hinge-forming recesses and a set of open-end, stop-receiving recesses therein, and a set of hinge elements and a set of stop elements on said arm member being slidable into and interfitting with said hinge-forming recesses and said stop-receiving recesses, respectively, when said plate and arm members are assembled together.

5. A handle mechanism comprising, in combination, a plate member adapted to be secured to an object tobe lifted, an arm member cooperating with said plate member, said plate member having a set of open-end, hinge-forming recesses and a set of open-end, stop-receiving recesses therein, and a set of hinge elements and a set of stop elements on said arm member being slidable into and interfitting with said hinge-forming recesses and said stop-receiving recesses, respectively, when said plate and arm members are assembled together, said stop-receiving recesses having end walls so arranged that as said hinge elements slide into and interfit with said hingeforming recesses said arm member may be swung through a predetermined angle and then be arrested by engagement of said stop elements with said end walls.

BEN F. JOHNSON. 

